Photo: EPA
HRANA says the exact death toll is impossible to determine due to prolonged communication blackouts in Iran.
At least 65 people were killed and more than 2,300 arrested during recent anti-government protests in Iran, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), CNN reports.
The rights group said demonstrations took place at 512 locations across 180 cities nationwide. Of those killed, 50 were protesters, 14 were members of law enforcement or security forces, and one was described as a “government-affiliated civilian.”
HRANA noted that lengthy internet and communications shutdowns imposed by Iranian authorities have made it impossible to establish the true number of casualties.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington supports the Iranian people amid the protests. Iran is facing a convergence of crises—including economic hardship, climate stress, war, sanctions, and deep internal power divisions—raising questions over whether the regime can once again survive through repression or whether its resilience is nearing exhaustion.
